Alaska Creative Woodworkers association
a club for carvers, scrollers, and woodworkers
Woodworking Classes and Monthly Meetings
Woodworkers Monthly Meetings 2nd Tuesday of the Month.
Classes are held at the
Alaska Industrial Hardware Store (AIH)
2716 Commercial Dr, Anchorage, AK 99501
​
Monthly Meetings are held at the
Alaska Industrial Hardware Store (AIH)
2716 Commercial Dr, Anchorage, AK 99501
Scroll down for all listings
$40.00 membership fee required to take classes, good for 1 year and covers a family,
Green on Green Coffee Table
Date(s): 10/5 (preclass) 10/12/24 - 10/13/24
Time: 10am to 4 pm. Lunch is not provided.
Where: Alaska Industrial Hardware Store, 2716 Commercial Drive, Anchorage
Class Description:
What you will make: Greene and Greene style Rafter Tail Coffee Table designed by Darryl Peart
Tools you will use: Combination of Power and Hand Tools.
Knowledge and skills you will gain: General furniture making skills and concepts.
Brief woodworking related biography of the instructor: Charlie is an amateur furniture maker with 25+ years of practice.
Each Student will need to bring this much of what ever wood they want to use:
1 board 8/4 X no less than 8" wide x 72"L This is for the legs and there is some potential to make mistakes on the legs. We will probably spend most of the first day on the legs.
3 boards of 8/4 X at least 6" wide, by at least 10' long.
I recommend buying the ebony square stock from this guy. I would by two each 12" long by 3/8" pieces and two each 12" long by 1/4" pieces. that would be the easiest and honestly cheapest way to do this.
Ebony Squares for Sale (https://www.inlaybanding.com/ebonysquares.html)
Videos that should be watched prior to class:
Rafter Table Tables in the Greene & Greene Style Part 1: Making the Templates
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtl5ELn83nE)
Rafter Tail Tables in the Greene & Greene Style Part 2 : Mortising the Legs
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPDV_VMbo2A)
Rafter Tail Tables in the Greene & Greene Style Part 3: The Rails and Base Assembly
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv0P9pYwPhs)
Rafter Tail Tables in the Greene & Greene Style Part 4: Rafter tails, faux tenon’s, ebony plugs
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Pk1ZhDPcE)
Rafter Tail Tables in the Greene & Greene Style Part 5: Routing the Top and Thoughts on Finishing
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUqZFQDNpKc)
​
Age: Adults; Young adults 16+
Number of Students: Class size is limited to 6 students
Tools and Materials: All tools are provided. You do not need to bring any tools.
Cost: $ Students supply their own materials. $40 shop fee. Instructors fee: $150 Total cost: $190
Club Membership: You must be an ACWA member to attend this class. Please click here to join the club
Cancellation Policy: Club membership is not refundable. Fees will be refunded on a case by case basis or if we can find someone to take the spot.
Contact: Charlie Gillespie @ 907-360-5703
Bed Frame
​
Dates: Sat 10/19, Sun 10/20-, Sat 10/26, Sun 10/27
Time: 10am to 4 pm. Lunch is not provided.
Where: Alaska Industrial Hardware Store, 2716 Commercial Drive, Anchorage
Class Description:
-
What you will make: A Bed Frame. All students will meet for 2 hours the week before the class at a time and location TBD to discuss the project and decide on the style and size of bed frame each would like to make.
-
Tools you will use: Jointer, Planar, Table Saw, Router Table, Miter Saw.
-
Knowledge and skills you will gain: This project involves large pieces of wood, so there are some challenges there.
-
Brief woodworking related biography of the instructor: Marc Brown recently relocated from Silicon Valley to Anchorage to be close to his granddaughters. After a career in high tech, Marc began taking woodworking classes at the local adult schools, and has been teaching woodworking at the Palo Alto Adult School for the past 7 years.
Age: Age does not matter. Experience does. This is not a beginner class. You must have taken 2 ACWA classes.
Number of Students: Class size is limited to 6 students
Tools and Materials: All tools are provided. You do not need to bring any tools.
Cost: Students will pay for the wood they use; they can procure it, or reimburse the instructor. There is a a $40 shop fee and a $60 Instructors fee, so the cost to ACWA is $100.
Club Membership: You must be an ACWA member to attend this class. Please click here to join the club
Cancellation Policy: Club membership is not refundable. Fees will be refunded on a case by case basis or if we can find someone to take the spot.
Contact: Marc Brown, 650-269-4980, marc@chezbrown.org
(Chess Board)
​
Date(s): Sept 14-15, 2024
Time: 10am to 4 pm. Lunch is not provided.
Where: Alaska Industrial Hardware Store, 2716 Commercial Drive, Anchorage
Class Description:
-
What you will make:We will be making a face grain chess board.
-
Tools you will use: Planer, Table Saw, Miter Saw, Drum Sander and router
-
Knowledge and skills you will gain:This is a beginner level class.Students will be working with the tools listed above and using glue in the assembly of the board.
Age: Adults; Young adults 16+
Number of Students: Class size is limited to 6 students
Tools and Materials: All tools are provided. You do not need to bring any tools.
Cost: $0 materials fee. $40 shop fee. $40 Club fee Total cost: $80
Club Membership: You must be an ACWA member to attend this class. Please click here to join the club
Cancellation Policy: Club membership is not refundable. Fees will be refunded on a case by case basis or if we can find someone to take the spot.
​
Knife Holder
​
Date(s): 2/15-16/20245
​​
Time: 10am to 4 pm. Lunch is not provided.
​
Where: Alaska Industrial Hardware Store, 2716 Commercial Drive, Anchorage
Class Description:
-
What you will make: Knife Holder
-
Tools you will use: Table saw, planer, band saw, sander, router, assorted hand and gluing tools.
-
Knowledge and skills you will gain: Build your custom designed kitchen knife holder using standard woodworking tools including Dado Blades on the table saw.
-
Brief woodworking related biography of the instructor: Greg Lyall is a retired mechanical engineer that took up woodworking about 8 years ago. He builds custom furniture and enjoys steam bending projects.
Age: Adults; Young adults 16+
Number of Students: Class size is limited to 5 students
Tools and Materials: All tools are provided. You do not need to bring any tools.
​
Bring measurements of your kitchen knives to class if you want a custom size. Blade lengths and widths, and handle lengths and widths will be required (or bring them to class). Otherwise, we will make a generic size holder.
Cost: $40.00 materials fee. $40 shop fee. Instructors fee $40 Total cost: $120
Club Membership: You must be an ACWA member to attend this class. Please click here to join the club
Cancellation Policy: Club membership is not refundable. Fees will be refunded on a case by case basis or if we can find someone to take the spot.
Scroll Saw
​
Date(s): 11/16
Time: 10am to 4 pm. Lunch is not provided.
Where: Alaska Industrial Hardware Store, 2716 Commercial Drive, Anchorage
Class Description:
-
What you will make: we will be making a box with Corian solid surface material
-
Tools you will use: scroll saw, sanding equipment, drill press
-
Knowledge and skills you will gain: you will learn how to create a box and work with a different medium.
-
Brief woodworking related biography of the instructor: Rhonda has been scrolling for many years. Some of her pieces have been seen at the Alaska State Fair and Artistry in Wood.
Age: Adults; Young adults 16+
Number of Students: Class size is limited to X students
Tools and Materials: All tools are provided. You do not need to bring any tools.
Cost: $5 materials fee. $40 shop fee. Instructors fee $25 Total cost: $70
Club Membership: You must be an ACWA member to attend this class. Please click here to join the club
Cancellation Policy: Club membership is not refundable. Fees will be refunded on a case by case basis or if we can find someone to take the spot.
Waddling Duck Push Toy!
​
Date(s): November 2nd
Time: 10 am to 4 pm. Lunch is not provided.
Where: Alaska Industrial Hardware Store, 2716 Commercial Drive, Anchorage
Class Description:
-
What you will make: Just in time for Christmas, this is a wood push toy designed for children ages 2 to 5. It is built from one foot of 5 inch wide board, ¾” thick. Shaped like a duck profile, it has floppy rubber wings and floppy rubber feet, slotted into the wood wheels, that slap the floor loudly as it waddles along pushed by a dowel. The slap and waddle are a hit with the grandkids!
-
The woodwork part of this project can be completed in an afternoon, after which the painting of your duck design may take some additional effort.
-
The participant can finish the duck design using paints (enamel, acrylic, tempera etc) in your own design. Some paints will be available at the shop session.
-
Tools you will use: BRING A NICE PIECE OF SCRAP WOOD! This project can be crafted out of any hardwood or softwood, the design is just a few curvy cuts. The duck body can be traced from a template, provided, onto your wood scrap. (Our shop at AIH has an ample supply of scraps)It can be cut on the bandsaw or using a jigsaw, scrollsaw or hand saw. Holes are drilled into the body for the ¼” wheel axle and the ½” dowel, using either a drill press or a hand drill. Two wheels 2” in diameter are cut from scrap wood of your choice, using a hole saw on drill press. Securing the wheels temporarily on a spindle in a drill and rotating against a sanding plate or disc will complete the rounding and smoothing of the wheels (I’m not a lathe guy!) Rubber parts can be cut from the remnant using a sharp utility knife.
-
Knowledge and skills you will gain: Both power tools and hand tools will create this project; bandsaw, drill press, hand saw, portable drill will all be useful. The project is quite basic, so it is quick and easy to create but the result will be a hit with your grandkids.
-
Brief woodworking related biography of the instructor: John Fritz is an amateur woodworker, having dabbled in furniture-making, box-making, cabin-building and woodworking tool acquisition for over fifty years.
Age: Adults; Young adults 16+
Number of Students: Class size is limited to 15 students
Tools and Materials: All tools are provided. You do not need to bring any tools. You can bring any paints (enamel, acrylic, tempera etc) for finishing the duck design. Scrap wood of ¾” thickness, 5” wide and 16” long, can be brought by participant or can be found at the AIH club scrap pile. Dowels for the axle ¼” by 3” long will be provided, along with ¼” steel washer spacers. Dowels for the ½ “ push stick 36” long will be provided, along with a small wooden knob for the dowel handle. The rubber wings and feet will be cut from a large remnant of rubber waterproof roofing material, available at the work session.
Cost: $5.00 materials fee. $40 shop fee. Instructors fee $10 Total cost: $55
Club Membership: You must be an ACWA member to attend this class. Please click here to join the club
Cancellation Policy: Club membership is not refundable. Fees will be refunded on a case by case basis or if we can find someone to take the spot.
Contact:
John Fritz 907-382-0290 twinblade88@hotmail.com
​
Masking Tape Dispensor
​
Date(s): November 24th
Time: 10am to 4 pm. Lunch is not provided.
Where: Alaska Industrial Hardware Store; 2716 Commercial Dr. , Anchorage
Class Description:
1. Masking tape dispenser - this can be made from small pieces of any nice wood. The contrast between the outer faces and the inner spacers looks classy in any shop or office. It can be sized for either the nominal 1” or 1-1/2” thick rolls commonly found in hardware stores.
2. Tools involved are: thickness planer, bandsaw, router, hole saw on drill press, sanding and finishing tools and products.
3. Skills involved are accurate project template use, safe use of various power tools, and finish techniques.
4. Instructor John Fritz has been refining his woodworking skills for the past half-century while creating many furniture projects, heirloom boxes, and various wooden objects. He is becoming quite versatile at fixing and making invisible his numerous woodworking errors, miscuts, mismatches, etc
Age: Adults; Young adults 16+
Number of Students: Class size is limited to 6 students
Tools and Materials: All tools are provided. You do not need to bring any tools.
Cost: $10 materials fee. $40 shop fee. Instructors fee: $20.00 Total cost: $60.00
Club Membership: You must be an ACWA member to attend this class. Please click here to join the club
Cancellation Policy: Club membership is not refundable. Fees will be refunded on a case by case basis or if we can find someone to take the spot.
​
​
Green on Green Side Table
​
Date(s): 12-7,8,14,15-2024
Time: 10am to 4 pm. Lunch is not provided.
Where: Alaska Industrial Hardware Store, 2716 Commercial Drive, Anchorage
Class Description:
-
What you will make: Greene and Greene style Rafter Side Table designed by Darryl Peart
-
Tools you will use: Combination of Power and Hand Tools.
-
Knowledge and skills you will gain: General furniture making skills and concepts.
-
Brief woodworking related biography of the instructor: Charlie is an amateur furniture maker with 25+ years of practice.
Age: Adults; Young adults 16+
Number of Students: Class size is limited to students who were in the Green and Green Coffee Table class
Tools and Materials: All tools are provided. You do not need to bring any tools.
Cost: $ Students supply their own materials. $40 shop fee. Instructors fee: $150 Total cost: $190
Club Membership: You must be an ACWA member to attend this class. Please click here to join the club
Cancellation Policy: Club membership is not refundable. Fees will be refunded on a case by case basis or if we can find someone to take the spot.
Contact: Charlie Gillespie @ 907-360-5703
Craftsman Style Lamp
​
Date(s): Saturday and Sunday: November 9 & 10th
Time: 10am to 5 pm. Lunch is not provided.
Where: Alaska Industrial Hardware Store, 2716 Commercial Drive, Anchorage
Class Description:
-
What you will make: Craftsman Style Table Lamp
-
Tools you will use:Jointer, Planer, Router, Table Saw, Drill Press
-
Knowledge and skills you will gain:In this class, students will build a Craftsman-Style table lamp. The blueprint for this project is Woodsmith No. 133.
-
Brief woodworking related biography of the instructor:Marc Brown is a retired Computer Scientist who recently relocated from Silicon Valley where he moonlighted for 5 years as an instructor in the Palo Alto Adult School's Woodworking Program. He now builds using wood rather than Python.
Age/Level: Adults; Young adults 16+ This is an intermediate level class
Number of Students: Class size is limited to 6 students
Tools and Materials: All tools are provided. You do not need to bring any tools.
Cost: $30 materials fee. $40 shop fee. Instructors fee: $20 Total cost: $90
Club Membership: You must be an ACWA member to attend this class. Please click here to join the club
Cancellation Policy: Club membership is not refundable. Fees will be refunded on a case by case basis or if we can find someone to take the spot.
Contact: Marc Brown @<marc@chezbrown.org>
Date(s): Saturday and Sunday: November 9 & 10th
Time: 10am to 5 pm. Lunch is not provided.
Where: Alaska Industrial Hardware Store, 2716 Commercial Drive, Anchorage
Class Description:
-
What you will make: Craftsman Style Table Lamp
-
Tools you will use:Jointer, Planer, Router, Table Saw, Drill Press
-
Knowledge and skills you will gain:In this class, students will build a Craftsman-Style table lamp. The blueprint for this project is Woodsmith No. 133.
-
Brief woodworking related biography of the instructor:Marc Brown is a retired Computer Scientist who recently relocated from Silicon Valley where he moonlighted for 5 years as an instructor in the Palo Alto Adult School's Woodworking Program. He now builds using wood rather than Python.
Age/Level: Adults; Young adults 16+ This is an intermediate level class
Number of Students: Class size is limited to 6 students
Tools and Materials: All tools are provided. You do not need to bring any tools.
Cost: $30 materials fee. $40 shop fee. Instructors fee: $20 Total cost: $90
Club Membership: You must be an ACWA member to attend this class. Please click here to join the club
Cancellation Policy: Club membership is not refundable. Fees will be refunded on a case by case basis or if we can find someone to take the spot.
Contact: Marc Brown @<marc@chezbrown.org>